There are no roads into Ontario’s Wabakimi Provincial Park. Entry is gained via paddling, rail or sea plane. For this particular trip we took a train in and flew out. When the kids, ages 12 and 13, learned of the plan to take a plane out, they could barely contain their excitement.

I paddled a number of sections of Salt Creek, starting at what’s commonly called the “headwaters” – Busse Lake, near Elk Grove Village, Illinois. It’s a 540-acre lake with 20 miles of shoreline located in the 3,700-acre Busse Woods. There are 11 miles of biking and running trails, 30 picnic groves, launch ramps and a new boathouse built in April 2014.

Kayakers joined state and federal officials on September 24 to celebrate the unveiling of two new water-access, kayak campsites at Point Beach State Forest, highlighting the emerging popularity of Wisconsin’s Lake Michigan State Water Trail.

When Traverse City Light and Power stopped producing hydroelectric power, a decision was made to remove the dams. When I heard the project was underway, I knew I had to paddle this “new” Boardman River.

The Illinois Water Trail Keepers removed tons of trash – including plastic bags, bottles, cans, buckets, tires, lawn chairs, bicycles, pipes and piles of metal of unknown origin – from an eight-mile stretch of the 31-mile river in Lake County in mid-September.

Children can be fickle, but it is important to remember that the goal is to engender a love for the water. With frequent stops for play, exploration and rest, even the smallest child can be a great companion on the water.